Moscow maintains parity in arms trade with Yerevan, BakuJuly 18, 2016 - 15:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia is making efforts to maintain parity in arms trade with Armenia and Azerbaijan, Izvestia cited Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Aleksandr Fomin as saying. “Everything must be solved via political and diplomatic channels,” Fomin said as he commented on Russia’s weapons sale to both Armenia and Azerbaijan. “I wouldn’t focus on whether our military-technical cooperation with them influenced the relationship among various countries. The main task of such a cooperation is not about helping one of the sides or creating superiority of forces. The main task, as paradoxical as it may sound, is the preservation of peace and stability in a particular country, a region and the world in general.” “Even if parity exists theoretically or one of the sides has an advantage, it is not determinative," Fomin said in a blurred message. "Conflicts start irrespective of whether one of the sides is armed better or worse. Nevertheless, we need to strive for parity. And Russia is making efforts to maintain parity both in absolute terms as well as in the quantity and quality of basic weapons systems.” Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. Russia clarifying reports on Baku’s alleged arms supply to Ukraine Russia says is carefully working to verify reports about alleged arms supplies from Azerbaijan to Ukraine CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. |